Published at 22nd of March 2026 4:45 pm

Chapter 1784 The Dreaded Name

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

In the war-torn streets of Centerfield, Gary and the others had just made a horrifying discovery. They had found out that the elite strike force they had sent ahead had been compromised. They hadn't just been killed; they had been forcibly turned into what the system classified as 'Glutton Werewolves.'

Gary and the Howlers still didn’t quite understand exactly how this twisted infection worked. Gary could still faintly see their names lingering in his system interface, so it felt like they were technically still a part of his Pack. But the new 'Glutton' class type they now possessed was almost entirely consuming and overriding everything to do with their normal Werewolf nature, turning them into mindless, ravenous beasts.

And this specific, terrifying corruption pointed directly to one obvious, nightmarish suspect.

“Hey! You guys can come up now! I don’t think there’s any tactical need for you to linger down there in the dark!” Haylock shouted, his voice echoing down into the alleyway where the Howlers were regrouping.

Taking the cue, Gary and the others quickly made their way back up to the main street. The three vampires were standing amidst the rubble, looking completely unfazed and entirely ready to share exactly what had happened during their 'interrogation.'

“Where is he?” Gary asked, his eyes scanning the ruined street and the dark corners.

“Who? Everyone is currently right here, right?” Jin questioned, raising a pale eyebrow as he dusted off his elegant coat.

“The mutated Werewolf you caught... I mean, where exactly did you take him? Or did you just kill him?” Gary asked, a hint of protective anger edging into his voice. Despite what the creature had become, it could have been one of his men.

“We didn’t kill him,” Rowa stated coldly, his red eyes narrowing. “I was perfectly able to do exactly what was needed. We successfully extracted the vital information we required from his fractured mind, and then... we simply sent him on his way.”

“What the hell do you mean you 'sent him on his way'?” Kai asked, stepping forward. “You just casually let one of those bloodthirsty things go so it could keep killing more innocent people in the city?!”

“I honestly don’t see why I should have to explain every single little technical detail of our methods to you when it’s absolutely not going to help us with the immediate task at hand,” Rowa said, his tone dripping with ancient arrogance. “But if you must stubbornly pry... of course not. That specific thing is no longer what you saw him as. And that’s absolutely as much as I will say on the matter.”

Having traveled and fought alongside these elite vampires for so long, the Howlers knew that Rowa was undoubtedly the most intensely stubborn and secretive out of the trio. So if the ancient vampire firmly stated he wouldn’t say anymore on the subject, they knew he was being entirely serious. Pushing him would only lead to bloodshed.

Although he stayed quiet, Gary was feeling incredibly conflicted internally. ‘No longer like that?’ What did that even mean? Did that imply the vampires possessed some type of secret, ancient cure for the Glutton infection? If they actually did have a cure, and the man was suddenly human again, did they just ruthlessly abandon a naked, disoriented human out in the wild in a horrific warzone like this?

And more importantly, if a cure existed, would the arrogant vampires even be willing to use it to save everyone else here in Centerfield?

“I know exactly what your loud, primitive brain is thinking right now, Alpha,” Rowa said, his red eyes piercing straight through Gary. “But let me stop you. What happened with him was a strictly one-off procedure for this specific situation. Do not expect miracles.”

“Alright, alright, that is quite enough bickering,” Jin intervened, waving his hand dismissively to cut the rising tension. “Let’s just clearly tell them what we managed to learn from the beast's mind and what we actually know going forward.”

Jin paced slowly, his boots crunching on the broken glass. “First, the relatively good news. Getting physically bitten or scratched by those Glutton guys seems to do absolutely nothing in terms of infection... unless you are entirely human. So, the one named Innu, is it? You should actively watch your back and be much, much more careful from here on out.”

Jin stopped pacing and looked seriously at the Werewolves. “As for the rest of us supernaturals, it doesn’t mean it's biologically impossible for us to forcibly become like them. The infection just requires a much more direct method it seems.”

Gary and the others already grimly knew that terrifying fact, because they had just seen firsthand that a fully initiated member of their own strike force had been turned into one of these mindless creatures.

“Furthermore, from his memories, they seem to be systematically capturing any Altereds and other Werewolves that they come across in the city. They are forcefully dragging them alive to a particular, heavily fortified location... a massive warehouse district that is located deep within the old White Rose base,” Jin explained.

“Do you think that’s where they’ve been making their main operational base, then?” Kai asked, his mind already formulating a siege plan.

“Even if it isn’t their main headquarters, it’s currently the only solid lead we have for now. So we might as well head directly there and deal with the situation,” Jin answered smoothly. “My main worry is why they are doing this. I believe they are specifically gathering powerful Altereds and other Werewolves to forcibly mutate them and create 'super variants' of these Glutton creatures. They want an elite army.”

Jin sighed. “So, practically speaking, things will only get significantly harder and bloodier for us from here on out.”

“There is just one more vital thing,” Haylock added, leaning against a ruined streetlamp. “We specifically asked the creature if it knew exactly who was orchestrating this entire invasion behind the scenes. It doesn't seem the grunts knew the full, grand picture... but they are currently all responding to and fearing a single leader of sorts. And that leader’s name... is Midwak.”

Immediately, all of the Howlers, apart from Luzen, who remained stoic, couldn’t contain their sheer, visceral shock as they heard that dreaded name spoken aloud.

Of course, they had been anxiously expecting it. After what Gary and Kai had pieced together regarding the specific nature of the mutation, it was the only logical answer. But to actually hear it confirmed directly from the enemy's mind... their absolute most dreaded, nightmare thought was officially becoming a bloody reality. Midwak who had become one of the key members of the Howlers had been turned.

Rowa's eyes narrowed dangerously, his predatory instincts flaring as he looked at the Howlers' pale faces.

“What was that sudden reaction?” Rowa asked, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. He took a slow step toward Gary. “I can hear the sudden, violent spike in your damned heartbeats. You all know exactly what is up as soon as we said that specific name. So tell me... what exactly are you dogs hiding from us?”

***

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